


Bear With Me

by Semper_Sehun



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Bathyun, Chanyeol is a snail hybrid oops, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Humor, Hybrids, Implied Past Abuse, Light Angst, M/M, Single Dad Soo, and by that I mean Baekhyun is a bat hybrid, bear hybrid, bear hybrid jongin, unusual hybrids
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-27
Updated: 2019-06-27
Packaged: 2020-05-20 08:33:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19373059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semper_Sehun/pseuds/Semper_Sehun
Summary: Children liked teddy bears. No matter if they were big or small, brown or unnaturally colourful, with beaded eyes and mechanical hearts, children liked to hold them when they went to bed or take them with them to kindergarten, school and the playground. Coincidentally, parents were often in need for a babysitter, a maid or an au-pair. So, why not combine the two?AU where Jongin is a bear hybrid and has to leave the family he's working for. In need of a new job, he meets single dad Soo.





	Bear With Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [potslooshi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/potslooshi/gifts).



> To Chris: I know you don't really like celebrating your birthday and maybe this is too much and you said you didn't want me to write something for your birthday buuuuuuut it wouldn't be me if I hadn't ignored that and written something either way. It's not abo but it's hybrid, so I hope to compensate that issue this way. I wish you a very happy birthday and I hope you can enjoy it and this fic. Your oat lover <3
> 
> To everyone else: I hope you'll enjoy this fic and that you like the hybrids I came up with!

_Drip drop. Drip drop._

The pattering of the rain against the window would have lulled him in if his thoughts weren’t racing. The sound of thunder resonated through the skies and he flinched, his ears twitching in discomfort even though he was inside, hidden away from the pelting rain on the streets.

The fire of the fireplace kept the room warm, but still, he shivered. It was the kind of cold that sat in his bones that no drop in temperatures could ever inflict.

Jongin glanced at the wall. The clock read shortly after nine. Normally, he’d be busy now, saying good night to the little boy. Just a few years back, not too long ago, he’d read goodnight stories to him and whispered into his ears that he was there to protect him from the monsters under his bed.

Tonight, he realized that all of this belonged to the past.

_“Our son has grown too old for you. We don’t need someone to look after him anymore like you did. We’re really sorry, but we think it’s best if you move out. If you stay any longer, it’ll be even harder for everyone. Please understand and respect our decision.”_

The message had come as a shock. A punch to his gut, a knife in his heart. The place that he had called home for the past 9 years suddenly felt so foreign to him. Suddenly, the warm lighting from the crackling fire felt too bright, the peachy colour of the wallpaper too tacky and the air in the room too thick.

There, on the couch opposite of him, sat the parents of the little boy. They were the people that Jongin had lived with for the past nine years, the people that he had considered his family too. Apparently, that had been a rash decision on his side.

 

Children liked teddy bears. No matter if they were big or small, brown or unnaturally colourful, with beaded eyes and mechanical hearts, children liked to hold them when they went to bed or take them with them to kindergarten, school and the playground. Coincidentally, parents were often in need for a babysitter, a maid or an au-pair. So, why not combine the two?

Hybrids weren’t a new trend, however, the scientists behind the genetic manipulation never failed to come up with new animal-human crossovers that they thought could be appealing to the public. The original breeds of cat and dog hybrids were no longer the only kinds that were regularly picked up from shelters or high-class breeders, now polar foxes, tigers and even cockatiels enjoyed great popularity.

Therefore, living teddy bears that could serve as babysitters at the same time didn’t seem too far-fetched, right? Even though bears were naturally loners, the human genes, coupled with a little modification, made the hybrids great companions for little children.

There had been all kinds of bear hybrids available on the market by the time they had become popular. Polar bears, Pandas, brown bears – you name it. Jongin, as a regular brown bear was one of the more basic versions. Yet at the age of 16 when hybrids that had been bred for the purposes of being sold were allowed to be placed somewhere, Jongin hadn’t faced any problems of being sold off to someone. It had been quite the opposite actually: The day the family had come to the shelter, which had been part of the breeding lab, where he’d spent his childhood and early teenage life, the family had immediately taken interest in Jongin’s polite and calm demeanour. It had only been a matter of time until the contract had been signed, the quite large amount of money transferred to the shelter so nothing had been holding Jongin back from being picked up by his family.

 

_“Our son has grown too old for you.”_

The little boy had only been four when Jongin had moved into the large family home. Only families of the upper socio-economic spectrum were able to afford hybrids like him. Everyone else could pick up hybrids at those kinds of shelters were hybrids went when they weren’t wanted anymore. With a tightening feeling in his chest Jongin realized that he was one of those hybrids now, too, as impossible as the thought would have sounded to him just a year ago.

It wasn’t like Jongin hadn’t noticed the decline of interest in the little boy’s eyes whenever they interacted. Of course, he still sometimes played with Jongin, asked him for help with his homework or talked to him while Jongin cleaned his room. But it no longer carried the same meaning it used to when the boy had been younger. Back then, Jongin had been an older brother for him of some sort. Now, Jongin had slowly begun to realize that the little boy was seeing him more and more like the adopted hybrid to entertain him that he technically was.

 

_“We don’t need someone to look after him anymore like you did.”_

Jongin doubted that they wouldn’t get someone new after this. Probably a maid hybrid, someone to do the chores instead of playing with the boy. Cleaning, Jongin thought, was something he could do as well. It had taken him quite a bit of will power not to speak up and ask to do such tasks for the family, but there had been a tiny portion of repulsion at the thought of degrading his own worth so that in the end, he’d just stayed quiet.

 

_“We’re really sorry, but we think it’s best if you move out.”_

Move out? But where was he supposed to go?  With no money to his name and just a few belongings, Jongin knew there was only one place for him to go to. A shelter. One of those places that the government had created for those hybrids that were what most people would consider a _failure_. Rejected from their families, bad at their job, unfitting in a world that wasn’t made for them but which they were made for.

A shelter it was then. A place that suggested that hybrids weren’t capable of taking care of themselves, however, not because of their inabilities but rather the societal constraints forced upon them. Laws upon laws restricted hybrid’s daily lives, starting from what they could work as, how they could be treated and how things proceeded when a hybrid became homeless – just like Jongin now.

 

_“If you stay any longer, it’ll be even harder for everyone.”_

Home. At this point, Jongin was starting to wonder if the place had ever really been his home. His heart screamed yes, but his mind told him no. He felt torn.

He wondered if the little boy would miss him. The parents, he didn’t care for so much. Yes, he’d considered them his family and it pained him, but the disappointment had nestled deep inside his guts. There was only so much he could swallow, after all.

_“Please understand and respect our decision.”_

Respect, Jongin thought, was a really funny thing to respect after everything they’d just told him. Even though he had liked his job, he’d always noticed how everyone had looked down on him. Discrimination against hybrids was forbidden by the law – just as there was equality between hybrids and humans, with a few minor, or for the hybrids – major – exceptions. In reality, though, there was a clear social hierarchy, and not a single hybrid was near the top.

As much as it bothered him, there was nothing Jongin could do. And as it stood, maybe it was better to leave a household that didn’t value him for who he was but only for what he was able to do when they asked for it.

Still, Jongin couldn’t help but bite his trembling lip as he watched the house disappear in the distance from his spot at the backseat of a cab, taking him to the closest shelter.

The rain was still falling from the skies, the sound of it against the roof of the car a heavy drumming. Jongin blinked, and a tear slipped down his cheeks.

 

🐻🐻🐻

 

In the early afternoon the following day, Jongin had already left the family home.

The registration at the shelter went by without a hitch. His previous owners had handed him all the necessary papers, already filled out. Jongin had only had to pack his bags and then a cab had been waiting for him already downstairs. Like this, he hadn’t even been able to say goodbye to the little boy.

 _Short and painless._ In theory, at least.

The man at the counter was really nice. He’d immediately offered Jongin to follow him to a small backroom with a large desk and comfortable chairs where they’d settled down to do the rest of the paperwork. There hadn’t been much left for him to sign, and most of the time was spent with the man asking him about his life at the family, politely hinting at a potential history of abuse which Jongin quickly shut down. His family apparently hadn’t loved him as much, but at least they’d never laid a hand on him.

After that, the man who’d introduced himself as Yifan, one of the permanent employees among the mostly volunteer-based institution, informed Jongin about the basic rules of the shelter. Like this, Jongin learned that he was going to have a new roommate, too.

The thought of sharing a room from now on felt foreign. For nine years, Jongin had had a room to himself which he now realized seemed to be a luxury for some hybrids. With a glance at Yifan, he got up from his chair when the man suggested to show him his new room.

 

🐻🐻🐻

 

Contrary to what Jongin had expected, the shelter rooms weren’t half-bad. He’d assumed his roommate to be there but Yifan had told him that Sehun – that was the name of his new roommate – was still out and about but was bound to be back soon. Therefore, Jongin now had a lot of time to explore the room filled with two beds and two small closets as well as an armchair and a desk. Right from first glance, he could tell that the furniture stemmed from donations. It was a mix and match of styles, the occupied bed a dark wood with drawers underneath while his own was a white one with a bouncy mattress.

The armchair looked to be at least 20 years old, but at the same time, it appeared cosy.

Just when Jongin dropped the fresh sheets he’d received from Yifan on his bed, the door swung open.

 

A tall, dark haired hybrid had stepped into the room, examining Jongin with bright amber eyes. “Uh. Hi?”

So this was his roommate. For a second, Jongin just kind of stared back before he realized that he was supposed to reply.

“I’m your new roommate!” He managed to get out, turning around properly to fully face him.

The man in front of him, obviously a panther hybrid judging from the set of rounded ears on his head and the long, sleek but powerful tail protruding from his backside, eyed him curiously.

"Nobody told me I'd have a new roommate. Hi." He said, and the smile that was directed at Jongin was warm and inviting. Apparently, his roommate didn’t seem to be a dick so far then. That was a good start.

"Hi."

Closing the door, the panther hybrid bowed before crossing the room to sit down on his bed, still looking at Jongin intently. "My name is Sehun. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Jongin." He mumbled, not sure if it’d be impolite to put on the bedsheets while they talked.

"Do you need a tour of the shelter? I know all the good napping spots and if you're nice, I might disclose a few ones to you. Where's your stuff?" Sehun, his new roommate, asked when he realized that there was only a small bag in the room that didn’t belong to himself.

"I only have this bag." Nudging it with his foot, Jongin shrugged.

"Oh. I see?" A worried expression crossed Sehun’s features for a second before he smiled again. "Well, if you need clothes, we have a really nice lady that volunteers here. She sews holes into every article of clothing where it's needed. Also, there are clothes donations and every now and then, you can find pretty decent stuff in the piles they leave us to look through." There was excitement in his voice and from the corner of his eyes, Jongin could see his tail swishing on the bed.

"I think I'm good, I have clothes." Instantly when the words left his mouth, Jongin regretted them. They’d come out way harsher than intended and from a glance at Sehun, he could tell that the other wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong either. His roommate had only tried to be nice, and here Jongin was, sounding like a bitter old man.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude or something. I'm just trying to tell you a bit about this place. It was stupid of me to assume that you'd be in need of-" Sehun started but Jongin cut him off, much softer this time though.

"It's fine, Sehun. I really appreciate it. I'm just not feeling too well at the moment and I'd rather prefer just to lie down for a while. I'll get back to you because of the tour later if that's okay."

He sent him a short smile. The day had mentally drained him and Jongin still wasn’t sure if he’d fully understood that he was now living at a shelter with many more hybrids that suffered from the same fate as him. Just this morning, he’d still had breakfast at the house like every other day. Now, he was here, sharing a room with a guy that he’d just met.

Sehun, however, seemed to take Jongin’s decline with stride.

"Oh, yes. Sure. I'll leave you alone for a bit then. Dinner is at 7, I'll see you there?" Jumping up from his bed, Sehun patted down the sheets and then stretched, his shirt rising up a little to reveal a patch of skin.

"Sure. But please, don't feel like I'm banning you from your own room, I didn't mean to do that." Jongin almost felt bad for basically kicking Sehun out but then again, he needed a little while to sort out his thoughts. There was too much going on in his head at the moment but somehow, he doubted that this was something he could fix in an hour or two.

Waving it off, Sehun walked over to the door. Before he stepped out, he sent Jongin another grin. "It's fine, I can nap almost everywhere."

The last thing of him he saw was the tip of his tail disappearing through the door before it fell shut.

 

🐻🐻🐻

 

Sehun had managed to convince Jongin to join him for dinner with the others when he’d come back to their shared room after about two hours of leaving Jongin to himself. At first, Jongin really hadn’t wanted to go and had already been about to say that he wasn’t hungry at all when his stomach rumbled. Sehun had only given him a knowing look and here they were, walking through the hallways to the large recreational area of the shelter.

"So, Jongin. Tell me a little about yourself." Sehun gave him a sideways glance as they walked past numerous doors of the hallway.

"Well... My name is Jongin. I'm 24 years old..."

Sehun clapped excitedly. "Oh, so you're my age! I'm 24 too! We're probably born in the same year!" They’d reached the main area, a large open room with a few doors leading to what Jongin assumed to be public areas, too.

"Ah, over there is the kitchen area. You can cook there if you want to but don't ever leave a mess, Minseok hyung will fuck you up." Sehun pointed at a kitchen counter with a microwave and an electric cooker in a corner of the room. It didn’t look any special, but Jongin figured that it served its purpose.

"Minseok?" He asked.

Immediately, Sehun pointed at one of the hybrids that was chilling on the couch ahead of them. Until now, he hadn’t even noticed them yet.

"That Polar Fox hybrid over there. I know he looks cute, but it's misleading. He can be a bad bitch if he wants to." Sehun explained.

Talking about different kinds of hybrids - "Noted. Um... You're a panther right?" Jongin just wanted to make sure. Feline hybrids were the most common kind of hybrids and with that, there came a large variety of breeds. It was better to get the question out before a week had passed and it would be too awkward to ask again.

Apparently, Jongin had been right though. A pleased grin had appeared on Sehun’s lips.

"Yip, exactly. A black jaguar to be precise. Isn't my coat shiny?" Sehun’s hand came up to brush through his hair and for a moment, Jongin wondered if Sehun was inviting him to touch it too.

"Yes, it really is." He agreed wholeheartedly. Sehun was a very beautiful hybrid and if he had to guess, on the more expensive side too. It made him wonder why someone like him lived at a shelter. Then again, he now lived there too, after all.

Pleased with the praise, Sehun led Jongin through the room, ignoring the other hybrids for now. "Thank you. You're obviously a brown bear. Your little tail is adorable."

Pointing at the little, cute tail at Jongin’s bottom, Sehun wiggled his eyebrows.

Embarrassed by the attention to his tail, Jongin’s cheeks reddened as he came up with something to change the topic. Randomly, he pointed at a door. "Um, what's that over there?"

"That's the dining room. Also, I noticed your poor attempt at distracting me from the topic but since you're new I'll go with it. So over there is where we eat our meals together. As you just saw, there's a kitchen area but only a few of us actually cook there. Some of us work in the kitchen part time alongside the cooks, so there's delicious food every day." Now that Sehun mentioned it, Jongin could register a delicious smell coming from that side of the room. It surprised him that he hadn’t noticed earlier because usually, his sense of smell was rather advanced.

"There's probably a diverse range of dishes?" He asked, not sure if that was something that shelters did.

With a nod, Sehun agreed. "Because of us hybrids? Yeah, there are different diets. You can choose from a meal plan in the beginning of the week. It's pretty neat." Sehun pointed at a printed-out sheet beside the door which Jongin assumed to be the meal plan. He felt tempted to check it out, but Sehun had other plans.

"This is the garden. You can just chill here, read a book or play, whatever floats your boat." Leading Jongin through a glass door, they stepped into a garden larger than Jongin would have expected from a public shelter.  "That hammock over there is my favourite spot, just so you know."

Said hammock looked like it had been patched together with all kinds of fabric leftovers but to Sehun’s defence, it did look very comfortable.

"I'll keep it in mind."

"Great.”

They explored the garden a little longer, Sehun showing him their newest project where they’d planted vegetables in pots with a volunteer named Junmyeon. Afterwards, they headed back inside and Sehun led him to the last door leading form the main room that Jongin realized now served rather as a large hallway with a couch and a kitchen aisle than the actual rooms for socializing and relaxing which Sehun had just led him to.

“Alright, so this is the living room of some sort, but as you can see it's actually three large rooms since there are so many of us. Here, you can spend your time whenever you feel like socialising or just want to spend time outside our room. There's always someone here, trust me."

In front of them, there were three rooms connected with doorframes without the actual doors so when Jongin leaned forward a little, he could get a pick at one of the other rooms where the sound of a radio was coming from, coupled with some noisy chattering.

The room they’d just entered contained a large couch with comfy looking pillows, coupled with some pretty blankets and an armchair much like the one in their room.

"There are so many different hybrids here. Some of the breeds, I've only ever seen on TV in the ads." Jongin mumbled, thinking back to the hybrids in the other room.

Sehun nodded. "Yeah, the shelter's pretty diverse. But we all get along pretty well. Okay, there was that one time Jongdae, a lynx hybrid scratched Baekhyun's arm and then shit went down.  But normally, everyone's well-mannered." At the memory, the panther hybrid couldn’t supress a giggle.

"Ah…  normally, I see." Maybe living with other hybrids wasn’t so bad, Jongin mused. It sounded entertaining at least.

With a laugh, Sehun lead him to the other door so that Jongin could take a look at the other room. "Hey, don't mock me. It's true though. We're all kinda close. Some of us have been living here for years, even decades."

After that, they decided to postpone their shelter tour which was pretty much done already anyways because dinner was ready. It was then when Jongin first met the majority of the hybrids, however, Sehun granted him his wish to not eat at the table where all of Sehun’s friends sat. Even though Sehun had offered him to sit there with them, Jongin had declined for now, just needing a little more privacy to let everything sink in. Therefore, when he asked Yifan, who he’d met on his way to the queue, if he could take the dish to his room instead of eating there with the others, it didn’t take much convincing on Jongin’s side. The look on his face must have been pitiful because without a second, Yifan had agreed. Next to him, Sehun had looked impressed, whispering a “We’re never allowed to eat lunch, breakfast or dinner in the room.”

That’s how Jongin had ended up in their room again. It bothered him a little that the other hybrids might take his decision to retreat personally, but in reality, he just felt exhausted. In the end, he didn’t even finish his bowl before he climbed into bed to just stare at the ceiling.

Jongin didn’t know how much time had passed until Sehun came back, the door swinging open. This time, Sehun didn’t start a conversation right away. Therefore, they only ever started talking again when Jongin asked for the directions to the bathrooms.

 

🐻🐻🐻

 

Later at night, Jongin couldn’t stand the silence any longer. Back at home, he had enjoyed a bit of quiet after a long day with a young boy. Even though he hadn’t really played with him as much anymore, the boy had still been noisy as he’d played on his playstation, yelling at the screen whenever he died in the game.

Now, the silence didn’t feel as welcomed.

"For how long have you been living here already?" The question had been roaming in his mind ever since he’d met Sehun. Somehow, he couldn’t really imagine someone living here for longer than a few weeks, but then again, Jongin knew that many hybrids simply didn’t have a choice.

"Oh, it's been ages. I came here 5 years ago after my owner kicked me out. I guess they quickly realized I'm not just a mindless, pretty kitty cat that's only a nice accessory." Sehun, who was lying on his bed, turned his head to look at him.

Jongin caught his stare and quickly looked away.

"Oh..." He muttered. "That's a pretty long time. I'm sorry."

5 years. The thought of staying there for five years without the prospect of possibly ever living with a family again almost brought the tears back into Jongin’s eyes.

Next to him, Sehun laughed dryly. "Don't be sorry, it's not your fault being a hybrid can be shitty sometimes. I mean, you're in the same situation. Why are you here?"

"I... You know the concept of teddy bear hybrids, right? Well, the child I looked after apparently became too old for me."

Just voicing it out felt like someone twisted a knife in Jongin’s gut.

Sehun sucked in a breath. "Oh shit. I heard about hybrids like you. That fucking sucks man. How long did you live with the family?"

"For nine years." There was a certain kind of exhaustion audible in his words, but Jongin was too tired to hide his emotions in front of Sehun. It wasn’t like the other expected him to be just fine either.

"Holy shit."

"Yeah."

Awkward silence filled the room. Sehun started to fidget with his blankets and Jongin could almost hear him trying to come up with something to say. It took him about a minute until he had seemed to have found something suitable to address.

"Anyways, everyone here at the shelter is very nice. The volunteers are nice people that don't think that hybrids are second class humans and there are several things we can do here. You can even apply for a job. They help you with that stuff here, too." Sehun’s head was turned towards him again and this time, Jongin didn’t look away, still too surprised by the information.

"Really?" He asked. "Do you have a job?"

The concept of a normal job seemed foreign to him.

There were certain limitations on what jobs hybrids could do. There weren’t many career options for them to pursue, and Jongin already knew that being a kindergartener, a primary school teacher (or a teacher in general) would be impossible for him as a hybrid simply because of regulations. Most of the time, hybrids worked in specialized settings like private families, in specific hybrid cafés and restaurants or in bars. Mainly accessible to them were part-time jobs at stores or gas stations, cleaning jobs and of course, sex work.

"Yep. I work at a café.” Sehun pulled Jongin out of his thoughts. “We're actually looking for new part-timers. And it's not one of those kinky Hybrid-Cafés for people above the age of 50 that like to stare at pretty boys and girls in tight clothing. It's a café near campus that's mostly frequented by students and there are several students working there too."

"That sounds... Nice. Maybe I can do that.” He hadn’t thought about it yet but getting a job would probably the first step to getting out of the shelter. Also, he was sure that he’d get bored pretty easily while having nothing to do.

Sehun looked pleased when Jongin seemed genuinely interested in his offer. "I'll ask for you if you want. Junmyeon hyung can help you with the application letter."

"Junmyeon...?" That name didn’t ring a bell.

Suddenly, a dreamy expression clouded Sehun’s eyes. "He's one of the volunteers. Don't tell him but he's my favourite."

With a chuckle, Jongin rolled back so that he was once again staring at the ceiling. This time he didn’t feel as empty anymore though. "Okay then."

Turning off the small light next to his bed, Sehun sent Jongin another last smile.

"I think you're gonna like it here eventually, Jongin. Welcome to the family."

 

🐻🐻🐻

 

The next morning, Jongin couldn’t avoid proper contact with the other hybrids at the shelter any longer.

At night, he’d actually managed to sleep quite well, contrary to what he’d originally anticipated. His sleep had been dreamless and he was grateful, for he had not been particularly keen on having nightmares reliving the day’s events and possibly waking Sehun up because of them.

At 6.00 am sharp, Jongin had woken up just like any other day. For a second, he’d felt disoriented before all the memories kept flooding back and instantly, he wished he could just go back to sleep. Next to him, Sehun was snoring softly, his ears twitching in his sleep.

The previous evening, Sehun had informed him that breakfast would be at 9pm today since it was Saturday. Whenever hybrids needed to eat earlier or later because of work, they were able to do so too though.

Technically, Jongin could go back to sleep for at least two more hours. Yet, it took him forever to actually fall asleep again so when Sehun’s alarm clock finally rang, Jongin had only managed to fall asleep about half an hour before that.

Together, they’d made their way to the cafeteria where all meals were served. This time, he couldn’t avoid joining Sehun at his table of friends, so he put on a smile, sinking down on the chair next to Sehun.

Three pairs of eyes stared at him.

"Hey! How was your first night?" A guy with really intense cat eyes sent him a bright smile. Judging by his ears and tail, he was a cheetah and a really pretty one at that. "Oh, I'm Tao by the way." The hybrid added, a pretty blush covering his cheeks. Jongin could see a set of sharp incisors peeking out from behind his lips.

"It was alright. Thanks for asking. I'm Jongin." He gave him a polite smile and then examined his breakfast. There was rice, a small bowl of soup and some veggies and meat. At the counter, he’d been able to choose between a typical Korean breakfast and a more Western dish, but since his family had always had traditional Korean food for breakfast, his decision had come easily.

His family. The words tasted bitter on his tongue and suddenly, Jongin didn’t really feel like eating anymore.

"Oh, we know your name already. Sehun told us." Tao grinned and shot Jongin a conspiratorial look. "Tell me, did he snore again? He always says it's purring but we all know he snores."

Before Jongin could realized what was going on, Sehun had already reached out to whack Tao on the head. It wasn’t a painful punch, more on the playful sound, but Sehun’s expression was far from pleased.

Jongin watched the two exchange glances and contemplated his choice. In the end, he nodded. "He snored."

Sucking in a harsh breath, Sehun turned to Jongin and whined. "How can you deceive me like that? I'm deeply hurt..."

From then on, they fell into an easy conversation where Jongin learned that the other two hybrids sitting with them were named Luhan and Yixing. Luhan, a doe-eyed deer hybrid that was way too pretty for a 28-year-old guy that vehemently proclaimed how manly he was, seemed to be rather cheerful person that wasn’t afraid of sharp remarks. Next to him sat Yixing, a calmer sheep hybrid that giggled cutely whenever someone cracked a joke or told a funny story.

 Sometime during breakfast, Jongin recalled Sehun’s words from last night. _Welcome to the family._ Last night, Jongin had just put it off as an empty phrase. Now, he felt like maybe – even if it wasn’t a family – he could find some new friends for sure.

 

During the day, Jongin was approached by several workers of the shelter. The volunteer named Junmyeon that Sehun had already mentioned the day before had consulted him in making some doctor’s appointments for a check-up that was needed after joining the shelter. _Just another regulation_ , he’d told him, and Jongin had just shrugged and agreed.

The day passed surprisingly quickly. Sehun had had a day off from work so he spent most of it with Jongin. Together with Tao who’d turned out to be Sehun’s best friend, they’d spent the day in one of the large rooms for recreational activities, sitting on the couch and playing board games. At some point, Sehun had had enough from Tao’s surprisingly entertaining giggles when Sehun kept losing every game of Uno they played, so they went for a walk around the block. When they came back, it was time for dinner already.

 

🐻🐻🐻

 

About half an hour later, a small group of hybrids had gathered in one of the living rooms. Sehun had dragged him along, not accepting Jongin’s bad excuses of “ _being tired and wanting to sleep_ ”.

That’s how Jongin had ended up squished between two hybrids that he’d seen during dinner before but never had exchanged a word with just yet.

"You must be the new guy! What was your name again? Jong-?" A small guy with black hair that was sitting to his right was grinning at him. At first glance, everything about him would’ve seemed very much fully human if it hadn’t been for the sharp canines he was sporting, splendidly displayed with his cheeky grin.

Puzzled by his inability to place the type of hybrid the guy was, Jongin stared at him for a little too long. "Jongin. I'm Jongin. Nice to meet you." He murmured when Sehun nudged his side, trying to tell him that he was acting weirdly.

The guy in front of him didn’t seem to be phased at all though. "Nice to meet you, too! I'm Baekhyun." He grinned, pulling off the bucket hat he’d been wearing. From underneath, a pair of leathery looking ears flopped up and Jongin seriously wondered how the guy was able to wear one of those with ears like these. "Or alternatively, batman."

Now, that made sense. The ears standing up proudly were unproportionally large to his head, with little to no hair and a skin in a dark grey tone. Baekhyun was a bat hybrid.

Next to Baekhyun, the pretty polar fox hybrid he’d seen the day before already. "Wow, you're so funny, Baekhyun." His white fluffy tail was draped over his lap so that Tao, who was next to him, wouldn’t squish it.

"Don't you mean Bathyun?" Baekhyun let out an obnoxious laughter that was greeted with a twitch of an eyebrow by Minseok.

"Oh my god." Jongin couldn’t help but crack up, Sehun joining in with a giggle.

"Just ignore him, he's a mess. I'm Minseok." The polar fox greeted him after Jongin had calmed down. There was a satisfied grin on Baekhyun’s lips, watching as Jongin was still gasping for air.

"Hi..." He managed to get out, wiping at his eyes. The joke hadn’t even been that great, but Jongin had the tendency to crack up at the most stupid things.

"This must be a lot for you to take in, huh?" Minseok asked, his eyes flitting to Baekhyun for a second.

Jongin nodded, reaching for the glass of water he’d taken with him after dinner. "Yes, kind of. But everyone was very nice so far." It was probably better to ignore the fact that he hadn’t talked with that many people just yet, and half of them were social workers it seemed.

Before Minseok could say anything else, Baekhyun chimed into their conversation again. "I would like to tell you that we don't bite, but I can't guarantee it."

Tugging on Baekhyun’s ear with his fingers, Minseok reprimanded the bat hybrid. "Shut up, Baek. Don't you have a ceiling to hang from?" He was obviously referring to how bats slept and immediately, Jongin wondered if Baekhyun actually slept like that. He imagined him to hang from one of those bars at the playground, but Baekhyun’s offended expression told him he probably slept in a bed like everyone else.

"Rude." Said hybrid huffed and freed his ear from Minseok’s grip who promptly wrapped an arm around his shoulder. As much as they seemed to quip, they were obviously good friends too.

To his left, Sehun had reached for the remote control to turn on the TV.

"Yixing over there is getting some snacks, we were about to watch Guardians of the galaxy 2." He nodded into the direction of the door where he could hear someone rummaging through a cupboard.

"That sounds great." Jongin smiled and then scooted to the side when Yixing came back through the door, eyeing the couch for a free spot.

Next to him, Sehun nudged the guy to his left. Until now, Jongin hadn’t really paid much attention to him but when he caught sight of him, he was a little startled.

"Chanyeol, make some space." Sehun was just telling him, so it seemed like his name was Chanyeol. Never before had Jongin seen a hybrid like him.

Yixing, who had placed a bowl of popcorn and some chips on the table in front of him, pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Where's Jongdae?" He asked the group, looking a little lost. The horns on his head were kind of cute, Jongin thought, halfway covered by fluffy black hair with a cute curl, almost like a perm.

"He's working." Chanyeol, the strange hybrid spoke up.

"Oh, sucks for him." Baekhyun reached for the popcorn, but instead of eating it right a way he had a different plan.

A kernel of popcorn hit Chanyeol square on the forehead just after he finished his sentence, and Baekhyun sported a triumphant grin which quickly vanished when Chanyeol quipped back a "It's not like you don't have the nightshift at the 7/11 later on.", coupled with a shit-eating grin.

The pout on Baekhyun’s lips was almost adorable.

"Shut up, I was trying to forget about that." He muttered and then decided to ignore Chanyeol. "You know, Jongin, bat hybrids are amazing nightshift workers." He explained to the newcomer.

Even though he had never thought about that, Jongin could definitely see Baekhyun’s point. "I can imagine that."

While Sehun was searching through Netflix, the weird hybrid decided to chat up Jongin again. He’d never seen someone like him, with two thin shafts protruding from his forehead, just like a-

"Dude, your ears are so cute." Chanyeol beamed at him. There was just something about his smile that was intoxicating and naturally, Jongin found himself smiling back.

"Thank you."

"Can I touch them?" Chanyeol asked, hand already halfway up to Jongin’s ears. Jongin particularly mind, so he just nodded, letting out a low noise when Chanyeol touched his bear ears.

"Be careful, if Chanyeol gets excited his skin exudes slime instead of sweat. You might get your ears dirty." Baekhyun’s loud voice overpowered the trailer of Guardians of the Galaxy that had just started playing. Sehun seemed to have found the movie they had wanted to watch, and the sounds of the TV competed with their noisy chattering.

So Jongin’s assumption had been right. Chanyeol was a snail hybrid. It wasn’t something he’d ever encountered before, but then again, he probably shouldn’t have been as surprised.

Next to him, Chanyeol just rolled his eyes.  "Before you ask, I'm a snail hybrid. Fucked up, right? I mean who would want a fucking snail human combined. Apparently, there was a demand. However, it seems like they quickly realized that it wasn't their most brilliant idea."

"Don't be so mean to yourself. You're unique!" Yixing, who’d been listening in on their small conversation, but a hand on Chanyeol’s arm to soothe him.

Somehow, Jongin couldn’t help but feel touched by Yixing’s kind words. Chanyeol appeared to feel the same way, letting go of Jongin’s ears in favour to wrap an arm around Yixing’s shoulder. "Thanks Xing. I appreciate it."

Even though Jongin wanted to ask some more questions on how exactly snail hybrids functioned, Sehun effectively put an end to their conversation.

"Now, let's stop chattering and just watch the movie please." He proclaimed, pressing play before anyone could intervene. That didn’t stop Baekhyun from adding a little jab here and there though.

"As if you'd be watching the movie when Junmyeon is right there." He grinned just when the first scene began, baby Groot showing up on the screen.

"Shut up." Sehun hissed, looking around as if to make sure that no one had heard him and as if his crush on the volunteer worker wasn’t painfully obvious to everyone at the shelter.

"If you didn't notice it yet, Sehun is totally into Junmyeon. He's one of the volunteers here." Absolutely ignoring Sehun’s red cheeks and the murderous look in his eyes, Baekhyun winked at Jongin as if he was just spilling the hottest tea out there.

"I think I might have noticed some signs..." Jongin grinned, thinking of Sehun’s dreamy eyes when he’d talked about the social worker.

A harsh intake of breath could be heard next to him. "Wow, you're already betraying me? I'll remember that." Sehun huffed. None of them were really paying attention to what was going on on the screen but most of them had seen the movie already anyways.

As if on cue, Chanyeol joined the ‘ _make-Sehun-feel-embarrassed-movement’_. "Sehun, you basically start drooling when you see Junmyeon and your ears perk up. Also, you always try to pose in an especially attractive way when you think he could be looking."

Somehow, even though Jongin hadn’t seen it yet, he could definitely picture that. Sehun seemed to be the type to do just that and judging by the expression in his eyes, the panther had been caught red-handed.

Spluttering, Sehun tried to come up with an excuse. "You're all just jealous of my impeccable posture." He ended up saying, arms folding in front of his chest.

Nobody besides Yixing was looking at the screen anymore. Somewhere to Jongin’s right, Tao muttered a quiet "It's not 'posture' if you lie on the couch and contort your back to lift your ass up so it looks better." That was still loud enough for all of them to clearly understand every single word.

Sehun was not happy about that.

"I'll scratch you." He held up his hand as if his perfectly manicured fingers could actually serve as a threat. Tao just snickered.

"Try me."

Nobody had noticed that Yixing had paused the movie. Only when he raised his voice a little to say "Guys, calm down. The movie has started", they all decided to let it go and finally focus on watching the movie.

It was the third time already that Jongin had seen the movie, and judging by everyone’s comments during the scenes, most had watched it at least once before too. When the first scene with Mantis came up, it was Baekhyun again whose voice boomed over the sound of the TV.

"Hey, there's Chanyeol's lookalike!"

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, there was an uncanny resemblance. Jongin had wondered where he’d seen something like the antennae on Chanyeol’s head before and Baekhyun’s comment had made him aware of the fact that he’d really been thinking of Mantis. The antennae were almost the same, only that Chanyeol’s seemed to be able to retract and extend from his forehead.

"Shut up." A dust of red had coloured Chanyeol’s cheeks and demonstratively, Chanyeol shoved a fistful of popcorn into his mouth.

"She does look like you though." Baekhyun didn’t let it go just yet and promptly caught a jab to his ribs from Minseok.

"I don't understand why they didn't use an actual snail hybrid for the scene." Still chewing, Chanyeol nodded at the screen with an underlying tone of distaste in his voice.

"Maybe they didn't want a line of goo on all their requisites." Baekhyun teased, but there was no bite behind his words.

Leaning forward, Chanyeol pointed a finger at Baekhyun with a way too serious expression in his eyes for this kind of conversation they were having. "I'll leave a trail of goo on everything that you love, dumbass."

"That means Chanyeol would have to leave his goo on himself too." Minseok coughed, but Jongin heard it.

Apparently, Chanyeol and Baekhyun both hadn’t fully understood him though. "What?"

With his eyes on the screen and a pleased grin, Minseok watched as the scene switched to a new one. "Nothing.” He sing-songed, enjoying the annoyed whines of both Chanyeol and Baekhyun that were slowly drowned out by the movie.

 

"Jongdae!" The ending credits of the movie had just rolled down on the screen when a lynx hybrid came walking into the small room. Jongin had seen him before during breakfast and dinner, but so far they hadn’t really exchanged any words yet.

"What's up?" The guy, Jongdae, grinned. When his eyes landed on Jongin, he politely bowed. Just from the first look at Jongdae, Jongin could tell that just like Baekhyun, he seemed to be the type of guy that was the life of the party.

"Oh you must be the new guy! Jongin, right?" The lynx hybrid attempted to squish himself between Yixing and Chanyeol on the couch but then ended up on Yixing’s lap instead. None of the people in the friend group appeared to have a problem with body contact, Jongin had noticed throughout the evening.

"You know his name?" Yixing asked, his arms automatically wrapping around Jongdae’s waist.

With his head turning around, Jongdae sent Yixing a smile and wiggled his butt around a little to free his tail from being squished. "Sehun mentioned it yesterday, did you forget already?" He teased.

"No but I thought you'd forget it." Yixing only raised an eyebrow.

That pulled a laughter out of Jongdae, a mock hurt expression on his face as he clutched his heart. "I get home from work and all I face is this disrespect."

"How was work, Jongdae?" Sehun asked as if to soothe him, immediately earning an appreciative look from the lynx.

"Pretty good. Actually, now that I look at Jongin I’m reminded of something funny that happened at work today."

"I don't know if that's a compliment?" The fact that he had no clue what Jongdae’s job was made Jongin a little more worried. However, Jongin didn’t have to wait for too long to get an explanation.

"You see, I work for a company that checks fireboxes and I go from house to house to check the fireboxes of the respective flats. So, most of the time I do these huge apartment building complexes and boy, do I see fucked up apartments sometimes.”

That didn’t really help Jongin with connecting Jongdae’s job to himself, if at all it only made him worried that he came off as a messy or weird person. Apparently, Jongdae wasn’t finished yet though.

“Either way, besides the trashed and smelly apartments, you also see the visualisation of people's interests. From dissected insects to puppets, from taxidermy to shrines with action figures-" an offended "Hey!" From Chanyeol interrupted him "I see everything that you can and cannot imagine. So today, I was in this flat where this guy, around 50 years maybe, had this giant collection of stuffed toys. And not just any, nope. Teddy bears! Man, that guy would've gotten a boner from here to New York if he ever saw you. And that, my dear friends, is the reason why we always work in teams in that job."

"Because of guys who like teddy bears?" Chanyeol asked, one of his antennae retracting a little when it accidentally bumped against one of Sehun’s panther ears.

Jongdae only laughed, leaning back a little against Yixing’s chest as the other fed him with popcorn. "Because of creeps, smartass." He replied between munches.

For the rest of the night, they joked around and ended up watching another movie. Jongin fell asleep against Sehun’s shoulder, Chanyeol’s hand back in his hair to scratch his ears gently. Maybe he didn’t have a family anymore, Jongin thought as he fell asleep, but he certainly had new friends now.

 

🐻🐻🐻

 

Life at the shelter eventually became routine for Jongin. He still had the occasional wave of self-loathing and disappointment hitting him, but the people around him always served to pull him out of his slump. Quickly, he'd realized how lucky he'd been with having Sehun assigned as his roommate. The panther hybrid was a very social person, always making sure to include Jongin in activities but he also knew when the other just needed a rest. It was a nice balance, and before Jongin had realized it the two had become friends.

However, it was not only Sehun who'd become close with Jongin. Also Baekhyun, although he seemed to be obnoxious at first, or Chanyeol, who'd left a trail of goo on Jongin more than once by now, had become his friends, just like the rest of their little group. Jongin couldn't remember ever having so many and such intense social change contacts, at least not since he'd been with the family.

At first, Jongin kind of enjoyed not having to do much at all. Whenever he sat around for too long though, the feeling of uselessness began to nag on him and one day when he felt particularly restless, he asked Sehun to help him with finding a job.

Immediately, his friend had dragged him to Junmyeon's office to start working on an application letter. During his first few weeks, he'd learned that Sehun was a little more than just in awe with the social worker. To put it frankly, the guy was enamoured. Jongin couldn't really blame him, Junmyeon was an absolute sweetheart, but the awfully patterned sweater vests and ill- fitting pants weren't his cup of tea. Sehun didn't seem to mind though, ogling Junmyeon with heart eyes the whole time he helped Jongin format his application for the café Sehun worked at.

It didn't surprise him in the slightest when Sehun made up a stupid reason to stay behind in Junmyeon's office after they'd finished, his ears perked up as he listened to one of Junmyeon's awful dad-jokes that Sehun only laughed at for the sake of his crush.

 

🐻🐻🐻

 

The first day at the café was mentally and physically exhausting. It had only taken about a week for Sehun to organise Jongin a job interview at the café which he'd apparently "aced" so now here be was, standing next to Sehun behind the counter to mix together insanely individualized coffee orders he doubted were delicious at this point.

"You'll get the gist eventually." Sehun told him after Jongin had managed to accidentally close the cash register three times in a row before he got the correct amount of money out and honestly, Jongin wasn't so sure anymore if he wanted to get the gist.

Still, he survived the first day and looking back, the job really wasn't too bad. Just like Sehun had said, it was a normal café near campus, packed with worn-out and sleep-deprived students that yearned for their triple shot of espresso in their soy milk coffee with two pumps of hazelnut.

"You're hired." Declared the manager, a man named Siwon, at the end of Jongin's first day on probation and even though it wasn't what he'd imagined his life to be, Jongin felt accomplished.

A new job, and one that wasn't based on the fact that he was a hybrid at that: it was a win in his book.

 

From them on, Jongin worked 20 hours a week in the café. It wasn't what he'd been used to, but it paid and it distracted him from hanging out at the shelter for the whole day. During breaks, he chatted with Sehun or the other co-workers. It definitely wasn't a bad job, but it also didn't fulfill him.

The longer he worked there, the less excited he felt about getting up in the morning to head to work. The initial dedication after being officially hired by someone eventually wore off, replacing the excitement with disinterest quicker than Jongin himself would have guessed.

Having Sehun around was nice, but not even the panther could lift up his spirits when he mocked the stupid orders of their customers.

Something was missing, and Jongin knew exactly what it was.

 

🐻🐻🐻

 

"Don't you miss living with a family sometimes?"

The sun had long gone down behind the blindfolds. The sky was filled with countless stars but neither Jongin nor Sehun could see them. Summer had started and together with the heat came the bugs. Neither Jongin nor Sehun were particularly fond of them and the protective net shielding their window had recently broken when a ball from the garden had come flying through their opened window.

"I thought you were asleep already." Sehun turned his head as if it helped to see more than just vague shapes in the darkness.

"I could say the same about you." Jongin's voice sounded overwhelmingly loud in the silence of the night.

About an hour ago, Sehun had turned off the lights in their room. It wasn't like he hadn't heard Jongin tossing and turning in his sheets, he just hadn't put too much thought into it.

"So you started talking to me even though you thought I was asleep?" Sehun wondered

On the other side of the room, Jongin pushed away his blanket. It was only an empty sheet but it still felt too stifling. "Maybe I wasn't sure if I wanted you to reply."

"I see." Sehun's response was barely more than a whisper, followed by a yawn.  "Well, yeah. Sometimes I miss living with a family. But the people I stayed with didn't treat me very well so it was easier for me to forget them."

Sometime during the weeks Jongin had stayed with them already, they had breached the topic of Sehun's life before the shelter a few times. Jongin had quickly realized that the other preferred not to bring it up, so he'd never pushed him to give away more than he was comfortable with.

It took Jongin a while to reply. Sehun's words were ghosting through his head, creating an echo that was hard to shake off. "I miss them." Jongin eventually broke the silence. "The family I mean. I used to call them my family too because I thought I was a part of them. But as it turned, I wasn't a part of them but only a part of their live and apparently a disposable one at that."

It hurt to put it that way, but it was the truth. It had taken him a while to admit it to himself and he probably hadn't fully come to terms with it either. Things like that took time, he constantly reminded himself, but at the same time he felt like every second he used up for this was a wasted one.

There was a good chance that the family had already moved on and here he was, laying awake at night because he couldn't rid himself of the nagging thoughts of what could've been.

"I'm sorry about that Jongin. You deserve better." The genuine empathy in Sehun's words almost made Jongin want to turn around and curl up in a ball. It hadn't been his intention to be pitied and it didn't feel particularly good either. Still, he knew that Sehun only meant well.

"I guess so." He just mumbled. "I don't know if it's messed up that I miss them or not. I mean mostly, I miss the boy. We used to play together all the time, it was almost as if he was my little brother."

A second of silence again. Sehun seemed to search for words to say.

"I'm sorry, Jongin." Was what he ended up saying again. Jongin didn't blame him, it was a diffiz topic.

"It's okay. I have to get over it somehow. But it just feels like there's something missing, you know? Like I left a part of me with them. It's annoying me because I don't want to have the feeling that I'm only complete with someone else but maybe that's just who I am. I don't know." The realization hit him just after he'd already said it. It was true, Jongin couldn't live on his own like this. It just wasn't who he was, that's the conclusion he came to at least. "Look. I like the job at the café. It's nice. But it's just... Not the same." He continued.

"I miss working with children. It's what I'm good at. Children are so pure, of course there are dicks among children too, but in general if you don't fuck it up, they're pure. But because of some stupid laws, it's impossible for me to be a kindergartener or teacher. But why? Why am I not good enough for that?"

The silence between them stretched. The words of Jongin's outburst hung heavily in the air and Jongin could almost hear Sehun's brain working to come up with an answer.

"It's not because of you, Jongin. It's because of them." The sound of Sehun's voice caught him by surprise although he'd been expecting an answer. Outside, a nightingale began to sing a song into the starfilled night. "We're not the ones that are wrong. We're the ones who're wronged."

They both knew it was true but that didn't make it easier.

"It's so frustrating. Why is it so unfair?" Exhaustion had caught up with him, and Sehun sounded tired too when he spoke. Jongin wasn't sure if it was from sleep deprivation or something else entirely.

"I don't know, Jongin. I really don't know."

 

🐻🐻🐻

 

"I got you a job interview."

Jongin looked up from where he was lounging in the armchair in their room, a book in hand. "But I already have a job?"

Sehun rolled his eyes, plopping down on the bed to grin at Jongin. His tail swished over the blanket in excitement and almost swooped the freshly cleaned clothes of the bed that Jongin had collected from the washing room earlier.

"I know you do, dumbass. But it's a better job. For you at least."

"A better job? What kind of Job is it? Didn't you forget, hybrids can't-"

"Yes, yes I know. Hybrids can't be kindergarten teachers and all that. Bla bla bla." Sehun stretched out, his eyes squeezing shut. The self-appreciative grin seemed to be permanently etched into his features. The other looked really confident about whatever he had to tell him, Jongin thought.

"I got you a job interview as a babysitter."

Jongin stared at Sehun, mouth slightly opened. He'd expected a lot, but not that.

"A babysitter?"

"Yeah!" Sehun beamed. "It's brilliant, I know, you don't have to tell me. Teachers, kindergarteners - for all that you can't be a hybrid. But babysitters? Most people don't give a fuck cause it's privately organized. I got the idea when I walked past the offer. There was a flyer at the blackboard at a supermarket so I called the number and pretended to be you. End of the story: you have an interview tomorrow. I already told work about it, you can leave earlier."

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be amazed by this or slightly offended that you did all that without asking for my opinion once."

"Let's agree on you being amazed, preferably."

Jongin let out a noise of disbelief. "Wow. I mean- it does sound good? Why didn't I think of that."

"Well, not everyone can be as magnificent as Oh Sehun."

"Shut up." Jongin reached out to softly punch him. "So the person is fine with me being a hybrid?"

At that, Sehun's facial expression changed a little and he cleared his throat. "Well, about that..."

Jongin raised and eyebrow.

"... I didn't mention it but he didn't specify that he didn't want a hybrid either."

Of course. Jongin fell back into the armchair, defeat clouding his thoughts. How was he supposed to just show up at the house and not have the person know he was a hybrid? He was in for an embarrassment but at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to be mad at Sehun.

Said hybrid was still looking at Jongin expectantly, waiting for him to say something. "So?"

"It's probably a bad idea."

Energetically, Sehun shook his head. "It's a brilliant idea. Also, the guy sounded really nice on the phone."

"Many people sound nice at first." Jongin pointed out. With a roll of his eyes, Sehun let himself fall flat onto his stomach on the mattress.

"You're whining on a high level."

Immediately, Jongin felt like a dick. "I know. I'll try it out. But I can't promise I'll actually take the job. Given that the guy still wants to give it to me after he meets me."

Grinning, Sehun held up a hand for a high five. "That's the spirit!"

 

🐻🐻🐻

 

The whole bus ride to the man's house, Jongin couldn't stop fidgeting. Nobody paid him any attention but still, Jongin felt like whole bus judged his every step when he walked down the aisle of the bus to get out at the respective station.

It was only a 10-minute walk from the bus stop to the apartment building but Jongin wished it would have taken longer. Yesterday, Sehun had given him the address he'd noted down during the phone call and together, they'd looked up the route on Google maps.

Now that Jongin stood in front of the large building, he regretted not saying no to Sehun's spontaneous idea. His kind nature, however, forbade him to just turn around on his heels and ghost the guy, so with a thundering heartbeat, he pressed the doorbell.

The sound of a buzzer pulled him out of his thoughts and Jongin made it up the stairs to the sixth floor in trance. Apartment number 02, right at the beginning of the hallway, he recalled the notes on the little sheet Sehun had given to him.

Checking the name on the small sign next to the door, Jongin reassured himself that it was the correct apartment.

Before he could ring the doorbell again, the door swung open and a man, quite a bit shorter than him with thickly rimmed glasses, smiled at him.

"Hey! You must be Jongin. My name's Do Kyungsoo, please come in."

**Author's Note:**

> Chris and I have talked about snail hybrids before and well, let's just say I had to make it real.
> 
> Let me know what you think about the first part in a comment or leave Kudos please, I'd really appreciate it! I know there was almost no Kyungsoo in this chapter but believe, that'll come in the second part! I'll make up for it, I promise! As usual, there's a moodboard.


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